Passenger Marine Transportation

Caixin, the Chinese media outlet, reported that a Chinese-owned oil product tanker was attacked on Monday near the 'Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump launched a U.S. Plan to assist stranded ships, but then suspended it one day later. Caixin reported on Thursday that this was the first attack on a Chinese oil-tanker. Since the Iran conflict began, traffic through this vital strait has virtually stopped. It is through which 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas supplies pass. Caixin reported that the deck of a?unnamed ship caught fire. The ship's marking was "CHINA OWNER & CREW". The crew...

Shipping data from Friday showed that only five ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz, including an Iranian oil tanker. This is after Iran seized two container vessels this week, and the U.S. has continued to blockade Iranian ports. The shipping traffic that passes through the 'crucial waterway' at the entrance to?Gulf? during an uneasy ceasefire, between Washington and Tehran, represents only a fraction the 140 average daily passages prior to the Iran War beginning on February 28, 2008. "Most shipping companies will need to have a stable ceasefire, and both sides of conflict must reassure them that the...

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran (IRGC) has warned ships not to cross the Strait of Hormuz through Iranian territorial waters, as Thursday's traffic was well below normal levels. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, one if Japan's three largest shipping companies, is caught up in the confusion, as firms try and work out the impact of a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. In an interview with Jotaro Tamura on Thursday, the President and CEO said that it was necessary to confirm whether or not safety risks were low enough. Three tankers were recently rescued from the Strait of Gibraltar...

Zefyros's manager in Greece confirmed that the tanker was struck by a missile overnight during a ship-to -ship transfer. Benetech Shipping SA reported that the incident took place at Iraq's Umm Qasar Anchorage late Wednesday during a transfer of fuel cargo with the Safesea Vishnu Tanker. All 23 crew members have been accounted for and are safe. The 23 crew members were evacuated and brought to land, according to a statement. SOMO reported that the Safesea Vishnu had been chartered by a company in Iraq contracted with State Organization for the Marketing of Oil. The Zefyros, meanwhile, was loaded with...

The leading shipping and labour groups have said that seafarers are entitled to refuse to sail on ships traversing the Middle East Gulf, which includes the Strait of Hormuz. This is because the threat level in the region has been raised to the highest level. As the U.S. war against Iran intensifies, around 300 ships are anchored both sides of the Strait. Nine ships have suffered damage since?February 28 and one seafarer has been killed. According to the International Bargaining Forum, a group of mariners, commercial shipping companies, and maritime unions, reached a negotiated agreement on Thursday. Seafarers can refuse...

According to an advisory published on Tuesday, London's marine insurers have widened their high-risk area in the Gulf as the conflict rages in the Middle East. Underwriters closely follow the Joint War Committee's guidance, which is comprised of syndicate members and representatives of the London Insurance Company Market. In a statement, the JWC declared that waters surrounding Bahrain, Djibouti Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar were high-risk zones. In a statement by the committee's secretary Neil Roberts, the JWC decided to review the areas during a meeting held on Monday. "In light of recent events", Roberts stated. He also added that these...

After a 'U.S. Shipping sources and officials reported on Sunday that Israeli strikes against Iran led to a retaliatory response from Iran, which put merchant ships in danger of collateral damage. Shipping data revealed that the risks to commercial shipping increased in the last 24 hours. More than 200 vessels, including oil and gas tankers, dropped anchor around the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has announced that it has closed the navigation of this critical waterway. The U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran has increased the risk of security for ships operating in the Persian Gulf, and adjacent waters," Jakob 'Larsen...

Shipping data revealed that at least 150 'tankers', including LNG and crude vessels, were anchored in the open Gulf waters beyond the Strait of Hormuz, and that dozens more were anchored on the other side. This was after the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran shook the region. According to estimates based on data collected by the MarineTraffic platform, the tankers were located in open water off the coasts major Gulf oil producing countries, such as Iraq and Saudi Arabia. They also included the liquefied gas giant Qatar. MarineTraffic data shows that many of the vessels are anchored in the exclusive economic...

Industry sources claim that the cost of shipping crude oil has risen?to its highest level in six years. This is due to a surge of crude exports out of the Middle East, as traders rush to book charters before a possible conflict between the U.S. The cost to hire a very 'large 'crude carrier to transport up to 2,000,000 barrels of crude oil from the Middle East into China has tripled since the beginning of the year, reaching over $170,000 a daily on Tuesday. This is the highest price ever recorded, according to LSEG. Data from shipping analytics company Kpler...

GMS, a leading ship recycling company in Dubai, has told its CEO that it has applied for a U.S. licence to purchase and scrap vessels seized by the U.S. Government linked to Venezuelan oil trading. In recent weeks, the U.S. Coast Guard and military have seized seven vessels that either carried Venezuelan oil in their cargo or had done so previously. The seizure was part of Washington’s campaign to force Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro from power, which culminated with U.S. forces capture him on January 3. Oil spills are possible while the vessels remain in the water. They are part...

LONDON, October 17 - On Friday, the United States, Singapore and Liberia called on U.N. Shipping Agency to delay adoption of a price for carbon on ships. This was after states failed to reach consensus in London during this week's talks. During discussions at the International Maritime Organization, the United States and Saudi Arabia strongly opposed a price on carbon emissions for shipping. The European Union continued to support this idea. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, called on IMO members to vote against it on Thursday, saying that Washington "will not stand for this new global green scam tax on...

U.S. officials and European sources have confirmed that the United States has warned countries not to accept a United Nations deal on cutting marine fuel emissions or else face tariffs and visa restrictions. The Trump administration wants to increase the economic power of the United States, which includes taking a larger role in global shipping. It has also used tariffs to force Washington's trading partners to offer better terms. In April, the International Maritime Organization of the U.N. (IMO) reached a draft agreement that would impose a charge on ships that violate global standards for carbon emissions. Washington withdrew from...

The crew of the tanker gathered courage and navigated carefully along the route designated by Iran. They hugged the coast and manoeuvred their massive vessel between island checkpoints in the Strait of Hormuz. Agios Fanourios 1, a 330 metre long vessel, loaded with Iraqi crude and bound for Vietnam had been bottle-?up near the coast of Dubai, since late April. On May 10, the tanker set out for the Strait of Hormuz after an agreement with Iran, overseen by Iraq’s Prime Minister. The Iranian orders to the tanker are part of the complex multi-tiered system that Iran has used for...

Sonangol Marine Services, a U.S.-based representative of Sonangol Marine Services, said that the hull of the Bahamas flagged crude tanker Sonangol Namibe was likely to have been breached following a blast when it was anchored near Iraq’s Khor al Zubair Port. A small vessel unknown approached the vessel on March 5 at 1200 local time. Sonangol Marine Services issued a statement saying that "the'small boat' approached the port-side of the tanker and a loud boom was heard a few moments later." The crew reports that the port ballast tank is leaking water, which indicates some type of hull rupture. However,...

Sources in the industry said that insurance rates for war risks increased after Ukrainian drones attacked two tankers headed to a Russian harbor. Fears of more attacks prompted insurers to raise their prices. Black Sea is vital for shipping grain, oil, and oil products. Bulgaria, Georgia and Romania, as well Russia and Ukraine, share its waters. Shipping and insurance sources reported that war risk rates, which are determined by each underwriter and are based upon the value of the vessel, have risen to 0.5% from 0.4% a week earlier for calls to Ukrainian port. Sources said that the war risk...

Shipping sources reported on Wednesday that commercial ships were sailing near Oman, and maritime agencies are advising them to avoid Iran's water around the Strait of Hormuz. The conflict between Israel, and Iran is at risk of escalating. Iran has threatened in the past to close down the Strait of Hormuz in response to Western pressure. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz could affect trade and global oil prices. Ships sailing to Hormuz have taken the latest precaution to reduce risks. They are now sailing near the coast of Oman for most of their journey. The Gulf of Oman...

On Wednesday, Iran and Israel both accused one another of endangering the commercial activity around the Gulf and Red Sea in the UN's Shipping Agency as their military conflict escalated. Iran's delegation said at a meeting of the International Maritime Organization security committee that Israel has recently extended its "unlawful attack" to include petrochemicals and gas infrastructures in Asalouyeh, along Iran's Gulf Coast. Iran's livestreamed statement to delegates of the IMO said that "These actions directly threaten international maritime security as well as the global energy supply chains." If the international community does not take immediate and concrete steps to...

Sources from maritime unions and maritime sources confirmed on Thursday that 200 seafarers stuck aboard 15 ships for weeks near the port of Ras-Isa in Yemen are now preparing to unload their cargoes and depart thanks to a truce agreement between Houthi militias and the U.S. Officials from the maritime sector said that the threat level for shipping was still high, given the Houthis' declaration that Israeli assets were open to attack, and the associated risks to shipping in general. In the past, ships with no connection to Israel were targeted and there was no guarantee of safe passage. On...

Shipping and security sources confirmed on Wednesday that three oil tankers were damaged in separate incidents in the Mediterranean in the past month, but the cause of the explosions was unknown. These are the first incidents in which non-military ships have been damaged by blasts around the central Mediterranean for decades. One of the shipping sources reported that an explosion caused a 1-metre-deep crack below the waterline in the hull on the Greek-operated crude-oil tanker Seajewel in a port located in northern Italy, on Saturday. The same vessel was hit by a second explosion 20 minutes later without further damage....

A merchant vessel reported being approached with making use of small arms fire in waters 92 nautical miles northeast of Eritrea's Massawa port in Red Sea waters adjacent to Yemen's coast, British maritime security company Ambrey said on Thursday. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) stated quickly after that it received a sighting report of a little boat with armed persons onboard, running in close proximity to a. small coastal truck, approximately 95 nautical miles. northeast of Massawa. Authorities are examining, UKMTO's advisory note added. No group has actually yet claimed the attack. The Iran-aligned Houthi militants have launched repeated....

According to data and shipping sources, Iran has sent small amounts of crude oil to destinations like Bangladesh and Oman. This is the latest indication that Tehran wants to maintain its output near to its highest level in five years. Iran's main revenue source is oil sales. The country has been trying to find ways to avoid U.S. sanctions imposed by former President Donald Trump in 2018 on Tehran's nuclear program. Iran is not subject to the output quotas of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. It is aiming at maximising production and exports. According to the semiofficial Mehr News...